How much is enough?

What are your suggested limits for government?  How much government control and power is enough?

Let’s look at a simple comparison.  

Let’s start with the 1970 federal budget of  $196 Billion, this includes LBJ’s “Great Society” cost of the “War on Poverty”  in recognition of some type of a needed safety net for the less fortunate.

Using the US Labor Board of Statistics CP-Index calculator, that 1970 $196 Billion budget should cost about $1.102 Trillion in 2010 dollars.  However, the budget spent in 2010 was $3.721 Trillion.  That is an increase of over 3.3 times what the cost of our government should be if it had not continued to grow its powers, actions and controls on all of us.

Does anyone really believe that the US Government needed to add $2.619 Trillion dollars worth of governmental functions and cost that it did not already have responsibility for in1970?  ($426 Billion in 1970 dollars.)   Even for those who are pointing out the $100+ Billion a year for the Iraq/Afghanistan war, this is no where near the total massive Trillions of increases in cost we are seeing.

This kind of irresponsible growth of government is not sustainable.  Past CBO reports from early 2010 showed an increase in the public debt from $7.5 Trillion at the end of 2009 to $20.3 Trillion at the end of 2020 if President Obama’s 2011 budget were to be implemented as written.   Public debt is currently over $14.1 Trillion.  Federal Reserve chiefs - the current head, Ben Bernanke, and former Chairman Paul Volcker both have come out and stated it is just not sustainable.  The results will be catastrophic if left unchecked.

Government really does need to downsize.  Let’s get to work and bring back some common sense in our governmental and fiscal affairs.

Preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States?

Obama is at it again and it is all about power.  Over the last two centuries we have had many different kinds of presidents. Some have been rather weak executives while others have welded a lot of power.  But all pale in comparison to the huge amount of power welded by Barack Obama.

When he could not get Congress to pass his ‘cap and tax’ bill, Obama uses the EPA an executive branch agency to change the rules so that the legislative branch could be bypassed. Obamacare has given loads of power to the executive branch. He has repeatedly bypassed the Senate’s power of ‘advice and consent’ by appointing dozens of people who are not advisors but ‘Czars’ who advise the President.

Now Obama has taken it upon himself to declare a LAW PASSED by CONGRESS and signed by President Bill Clinton as unconstitutional.

The Obama administration announced February 3rd that it will no longer defend the federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The decision marks a significant about-face for the Obama Justice Department, which until now had defended the law in court despite President Obama’s misgivings with the policy. The administration’s attorneys as recently as January had filed a court motion in support of the Defense of Marriage Act, which effectively bans recognition of same-sex marriage.

But after two new lawsuits were filed in New York and Connecticut, Obama ordered Attorney General Eric Holder not to defend the statute.

“I fully concur with the president’s determination,” Holder said in a statement, declaring the provision to be “unconstitutional.”

Only the Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional, not President Obama, not Attorney General Eric Holder, nor anyone else in the administration. If this decision is allowed to stand, nothing is beyond the power of the president. Obama could declare himself the king and liberals would continue to praise him. This behavior is extremely shortsighted. If a liberal president can abuse the power of the executive branch, then so could a conservative. Our republic further slides into oblivion.

The reason the Constitution defines the presidency as the executive branch is that the president is obligated to execute or carry out laws passed by Congress and signed by Presidents, regardless of their position on the law.  All presidents take an oath "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."  Article II, Section 3 - "...he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed...".   Obama is NOT following the Constitution.  This president is shredding our founding document.

President Obama’s decision not to defend the ‘Defense of Marriage Act’ should not come as a surprise to anyone. After more than two years into the Obama reign, (he must think he is a KING), he has shown little regard for the Constitution or the rule of law. It is SO time for a change. Time and time again the Obama has usurped the constitution to take more and more power. The only question is…what will the United States of America look like in two more years?

Must Make the Tough Choices

America, we have a problem!   In 2010, Federal spending increased to $3.5 trillion in 2010. The US of A is now borrowing 40 cents of every dollar spent. Our national debt currently stands at $14.1 trillion – roughly 70 percent of our economy.

It’s a safe bet that most, if not all of us, do not want to see our income tax rates double. And that we would rather not be forced to adopt a permanently lower standard of living. But this is the reality our nation faces unless Congress begins to make some real “tough choices” and changes the current course on spending.